Thesis Format Guide
This guide has been prepared to help graduate students prepare their research
papers and theses for acceptance by Clark University. The regulations contained
within have been updated and, in some cases, clarified for the benefit of
students, faculty advisors, departments, the Format Advisor and the Graduate
School. Any questions about the contents of this guide should be directed to the
Format Advisor:
Denise Robertson
Graduate School Office
138 Woodland Street
Room 104
508-793-7676
gradschool@clarku.edu
The Format Advisor is concerned solely with the format of the manuscripts. It is
the Advisor’s responsibility to make certain that any thesis, dissertation, or
research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of a graduate degree at Clark
University conforms to the regulations outlined in this guide. Responsibility for
the content of any manuscript remains with the student and the faculty
advisor(s).
Updated 7/2015
Table of Contents
Basic Format Guidelines ..................................................................................... 3
Working with Long Documents ........................................................................ 3
Paper............................................................................................................... 3
Number of copies ............................................................................................ 4
Margins ........................................................................................................... 4
Spacing ........................................................................................................... 4
Pagination ....................................................................................................... 4
Font Size ......................................................................................................... 5
Photographs and Other Illustrative Material .................................................... 6
Footnotes ........................................................................................................ 6
Regular Format ............................................................................................ 7
Scientific Format .......................................................................................... 7
Permission to Reprint ...................................................................................... 8
Preliminary documents ....................................................................................... 8
Application for Degree ……………………………………………………………..8
Abstract ........................................................................................................... 9
Title Page ........................................................................................................ 9
Academic History ............................................................................................ 9
Dedication and/or Acknowledgements ............................................................ 9
Table of Contents ............................................................................................ 9
List of Illustrations or List of Figures ................................................................ 9
Text ................................................................................................................... 10
Reference Material ........................................................................................... 10
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Basic Format Guidelines
Documents submitted to the Graduate School office are organized into three
sections:
1. Preliminary documents
2. Text (introductions and chapters)
3. Back matter (notes, bibliography or references, appendices,
glossary, etc.)
Consult your committee chair to determine the internal arrangement within the
text and reference sections. You should be guided on matters of style by the
chair and members of your committee. The following sections specify the format
that must be followed in preparing the final copy of your dissertation.
The Graduate School recommends the following books as supplements to the
information provided in these guidelines. A copy of each is kept in the Graduate
School office for reference purposes.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers. 8th ed. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2013.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 2010.
Working with Long Documents
It is also recommended that you familiarize yourself with some of the more
intensive features of Microsoft Word. Go to the help menu and in the contents
section look for “Working with Long Documents” to learn about features that
could make the writing of your thesis faster and easier. You may also check out
the ITS website http://www.clarku.edu/offices/its/training/index.htm for any
classes they may offer on using those features.
Paper
Good quality, white, unlined, non-punched, 8½” x11” paper must be used for the
original copy. Minimum weight is 20 lb., and minimum rag (cotton) content is
25%. This paper is standard regulation thesis paper and is available at the
University Bookstore or Curry Copy Center on Southbridge Street, Worcester.
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Number of copies
The Graduate School requires ONE copy. This copy becomes part of the
University library’s collection. Departments may require additional copies. Check
with the graduate assistant in your department. Copy service is available through
Curry Copy Center, 165 Southbridge Street, Worcester. Binding services are
available through Goddard Library.
Margins
For copying and binding purposes, every page of your thesis must be top and left
1.25”; right and bottom 1”.
To insure that margins are correct - in Microsoft Word (in Page Setup) use the
following settings to insure that margins above are correct:
Top = 1.3”
Bottom = 1.1”
Right = 1.1”
Left = 1.3”
Header = 1.3”
Footer = 1.1”
Margins must be left justified. All manuscript materials must fit within these
margin requirements (including tables, headers and footers, figures, graphs and
page numbers). When full-page prints of photographs are desired, the image
area of the print must conform to the same margins as the text.
Spacing
The thesis, including the abstract, dedication, acknowledgements, and
introduction, must be double-spaced. Footnotes, bibliographies, long quoted
passages, as well as items in lists, tables, and appendices may be single-spaced
if that style is recommended by the committee chair. Your thesis must be printed
on one side of the paper.
Pagination
Each page of the entire manuscript must be numbered, except where stated
below.
There are two alternative methods for numbering the pages of the body of the
manuscript:
1. Center of Page – recently updated (recommended)
Place the number at the center at the bottom of the page within the text
leaving at least a 1” margin at bottom. Please note: Preliminary pages must
be numbered in the bottom center of the page as well using Roman numerals.
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2. Top Right-Hand Corner:
Place all page numbers in the upper right-hand corner with the text area,
leaving at least 1¼ inches at top and one inch at the right. Please note:
Preliminary pages must be numbered in the bottom center of the page using
Roman numerals.
There are to be no headings to the left or right of the page number. See
margins above. The placement of page numbers must be consistent
throughout the manuscript. Pages should be numbered sequentially
throughout the manuscript. Preliminary pages are numbered as follows:
The Title Page is counted as page i (assumed, do not print number)
The Abstract is counted as page ii (assumed, do not print number)
The Academic History page is counted as page iii (assumed do not print
number)
The remaining preliminary pages are numbered with lower case Roman
numerals (iv, v, vi, etc). After the title page, abstract, and academic
history page begin numbering the next page with iv.
The main body of the text and the reference section are consecutively
numbered with Arabic numerals beginning page “1” and continuing
throughout, including text, illustrative materials, bibliography, and
appendices.
Manuscripts with incorrect page numbering will not be accepted by the Graduate
School.
Font Size
Any legible font, except script, italic, or ornamental fonts, is acceptable for the
body of the text. The chosen font should be used throughout. Standard font size
for text is 12 (no font smaller than 10 will be accepted). Arial, Times New Roman,
Helvetica and Century Gothic are recommended.
Italics may be used for quotations and words in a foreign language. Fonts used
for appendices, charts, drawings, graphs, and tables may differ from the text.
The print should be letter quality with black characters that are clear and easy to
read.
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Photographs and Other Illustrative Material
Because illustrative material must fit within the specified margins, it is sometimes
necessary to use smaller type or make reduced copies. A wide illustration must
be placed broadside on the page, with the top toward the binding side. Be
consistent in placing page numbers on illustrative material, and remember that all
tables (or figures) must be labeled with a number and caption.
Labels or symbols rather than colors should identify lines on a graph whenever
possible. If there are many different types of illustrative materials, label them all
as figures and number them consecutively in Arabic numerals (1,2,3..) or they
may be identified and numbered within each category.
Footnotes
There are two types of footnotes: “reference” and “content”. Reference
footnotes refer to the source from which the information has been taken;
content footnotes make incidental comments, amplify, or make
acknowledgements. You must place content footnotes at the bottom of the
page they refer to, regardless of whether the regular or scientific format is
used. The next section discusses format style.
1. If you use the traditional bottom-of-the-page method, number the
content footnotes consecutively with the reference footnotes.
2. If you use either of the “Notes” page styles, do not include a
content footnote in the numbering of the reference footnotes. Mark
it with an asterisk in the text and on the bottom of the page where it
appears. If more than one content footnote appears on a page, use
a sequence of one, two, and then three asterisks.
3. If you use the scientific format, content footnotes have their own
numbering systems, starting over with each chapter, or each page.
Mark the footnote with its assigned number in the text and on the
bottom of the page where it appears.
Consult the style manual or guide prepared by an outstanding scholarly
association in your field of study for the correct style in referencing works.
These manuals and guidebooks can be found in libraries or ordered from
the publishers. Consult your department about the correct format to use.
If you have any difficulties with footnotes moving to the next page consult
the Microsoft support website at www.microsoft.com and in the search box
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type in “footnote moved to next page”. Microsoft lists several solutions to
this problem.
Regular Format
The English, comparative literature, history, management, some of the social
sciences and the graduate COPACE departments generally use this method.
Footnotes are done separately from the bibliography, and both must be
included. There are three acceptable styles:
1. Footnotes appear in the traditional manner at the bottom of the page.
(The footnote numbering starts over with each new page.)
2. Footnotes appear in a list at the end of each chapter (or section) on
pages entitled “Notes”. (The footnote numbering starts over with each
new chapter.)
3. Footnotes appear at the end of the manuscript on a page entitled
“Notes”. The notes are numbered consecutively from the beginning to
the end of the manuscript. Use this method only for shorter works,
since it can be cumbersome.
Scientific Format
The natural sciences, mathematics, and many of the social sciences such as
education, geography and psychology generally use this method.
Collect references in a list entitled List of References or Literature Cited at
the end of the manuscript. The list serves the purpose of the footnotes as
well as of the bibliography.
Short references to items in the list appear in parentheses in the text itself.
Of the two commonly used styles, the first is preferred:
1. (author, date of publication, page number, if applicable) For example:
(Cohen, 1971, p. 72). If you mention the author in the sentence, the
note would appear as (1971, p.72).
2. Place a number after theauthor’s name in the text, enclosed in either
parenthesis or brackets. For example: Cohen (5) or Cohen [5].
Number the items in the list at the end of the manuscript by order of
their appearance in the text.
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Permission to Reprint
You do not need to obtain permission to reprint for sections of fewer than
five hundred words or for tables (or other figures) as long as you clearly
state your sources. Place the source for a table or other figure directly
beneath it.
You must obtain permission to reprint from the author or publisher if you
have reprinted more than five hundred words at a time from a copyrighted
work. Obtain the permission in writing and keep it for proof. The three
acceptable places for acknowledging permission to reprint are:
On the copyright page (if you are copyrighting your thesis)
On the first page of the reprinted material
On a special list of acknowledgements (use this method if there is
more than one reprint in excess of five hundred words).
A phrase such as “reprinted by permission of author” should be used (with an
asterisk if it appears in the form of a footnote on the first page of the reprinted
material). Chapter 4 in the Chicago Manual of Style addresses the subject in
detail. A copy is kept in the Graduate School Office for reference.
Preliminary documents
Application for Degree (online)
All students required to complete the Application for Degree online form through
their CUWEB account during the periods indicated at the formatting website (See
Important Dates and Deadlines). Students who do not complete the form during
the application period will have to wait until the next application period and
consequently, the next graduation date.
Templates for the documents below are located at the “Templates” link.
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Title Page
The title page provides a basic introduction to your research. The title for your
work should be a meaningful description of your manuscript and include key
words that can be used by modern retrieval systems. Use word substitutes,
formulas, and symbols. Do not put a number on the title page. The Title Page
requires your chief instructor’s signature.
Abstract
An abstract of 150 words or less is required. It is to be a succinct description of
your work and should be organized in the following order:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Statement of the Problem
Procedure and/or Methods
Results
Conclusions
Academic History
Type your name, type of baccalaureate degree (B.A., B.S., etc), source
(institution name), and date the degree was conferred. “Other degrees’ should
include only those degrees, in addition to the baccalaureate, which have already
been received (not the one presently being earned). The type and date of your
degree, as well as the source, should be included. “Occupation and Academic
Connection” includes any jobs related to your field of study. Also include titles
such as teaching assistant, fellow, or other designation.
Dedication and/or Acknowledgements
These pages are optional. If included, they must be numbered with Roman
numerals.
Table of Contents
A table of contents is required and may follow any format acceptable to your
advisor and committee. Be sure to include all main divisions and subdivisions
within your text and double space. These pages are to be numbered with Roman
numerals (bottom, center of page). If Dedication or Acknowledgements are not
included, this will be the first numbered page: iv. Only pages that come after the
Table of Contents are listed.
List of Illustrations or List of Figures
Follow the format used for your Table of Contents. Use a separate page for each
type of list. Use appropriate Roman numerals. Make sure to double space
between entries.
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Text
You and your committee determine the quality and content of your text. Starting
with page 1, the numbering must run consecutively throughout, in Arabic
numerals.
Text includes the introduction or preface (if any) and the main body of the
manuscript (use of well-defined divisions, such as parts, chapters or sections is
recommended).
Reference Material
•
The “Notes” page follows the final chapter (if this format is used)
•
Appendixes
•
Glossary, or list of abbreviations (if applicable)
•
Bibliography (or List of References, if Scientific format is used)
The bibliography, used primarily in the regular format, lists sources used-not necessarily every one, but those considered relevant. If the
bibliography is longer than two pages, classify it and divide it into sections,
according to the type of sources (books, documents, journals, interviews)
or periods of time.
A blank page should be included at the end of the manuscript.
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